Israeli navy detains 5 Palestinian fishermen trying to find food amid famine in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Israeli naval forces detained five Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza City on Saturday evening while they were trying to catch food to survive, amid a worsening famine caused by Israel’s blockade on the enclave, a local official said.

The fishermen had gone to sea in search of daily sustenance, with food supplies nearly nonexistent in the markets, a representative of the Fishermen’s Syndicate in Gaza, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Anadolu.

However, Israeli gunboats pursued and arrested the fishermen, and took them to an unknown location, he added.

Since March 2, 2025, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza and has blocked the entry of food and medical aid, triggering a famine across Gaza.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 620 Palestinians have lost their lives due to lack of food and medicine, including 69 children who died of malnutrition since October 2023.

Local authorities warn that 650,000 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition, hunger, and food shortages, while around 60,000 pregnant women are facing a real threat because of the lack of food and essential healthcare.

“An unprecedented numbers of starving Gazans of all ages are arriving at emergency departments in a state of extreme exhaustion and fatigue,” the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

It warned that “hundreds whose bodies have severely weakened are at imminent risk of death due to hunger with their bodies unable to endure any longer.”

The Israeli army prohibits fishing in Gaza’s waters and targets with gunfire or arrest anyone who attempts to go to sea, even though fishing has become one of the only remaining means of securing food amid the deepening humanitarian collapse.

Despite the risks and warnings, some fishermen continue to venture a few meters into the sea in desperate and dangerous attempts to provide minimal food for their families.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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